Corruption
by aggieast
Summary: CUPCAKE story. Joe and Stephanie are living together, after EOT. Joe faces a problem at work and it could affect his relationship with Stephanie.
1. Chapter 1

Corruption

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I am just borrowing them. **

_Thanks to Christina for being my editor_.

Chapter 1 – Stephanie POV:

Times were good for me, for once, Joe was fully recovered from his broken leg, and I was back to work at Vinnie's. I had also decided that I may have missed my apartment, but I missed Joe more when I wasn't with him. So when my lease was up at the end of October I moved in with Joe for good. It was just after New Year's and Joe and I were starting the New Year together and happy. It was a Tuesday night and I'd just finished rounding up my last skip of the day, picked up my body receipt and dropped Lula off at the office. While at the station, Carl mentioned that Joe had already gone home for the day. He told me Joe had a tough one and that I should be nice to him. Uh, I'm always nice to Joe. I had every intention of stopping to pick up some food for dinner, but I was lost in thought and the next thing I knew I was pulling up in front of the house. Wow, not Joe's house, but the house. Next thing you know I will be calling it our house, wait it is kind of is our house.

The front windows were open and you could hear the sounds of Sports Center coming through the windows. A smile crossed my lips because I realized that Joe was inside, waiting for me to get home and I liked the thought of that. I opened the front door and braced myself for an all out Bob assault, but nothing. Just the sound of Sports Center, but no Bob or Joe, I walked toward the couch and Joe was lying on his back stretched out on the couch. He had a beer in his hand that rested on his chest. He was sacked out and on the floor next to the couch was Bob. There were two beer bottles on the coffee table and a bag of Fritos. There were also bits of Fritos on the rug and around Bob so I'm guessing they shared the bag. My heart clutched at the sight of Joe. His features softened while he slept: he looked like an angel with his dark complexion and thick dark lashes. I see the man everyday and I know his body better than I know my own, but the sight of him still made my heart skip a beat and butterflies race around my stomach. I quietly walked around the couch and took the beer from his hand. As I did this, he mumbled something and wiggled deeper into the couch.

I slipped out of my shoes and crawled on the couch with Joe. I nestled my head in its spot, on his right shoulder with my face angled toward his neck so that I breathe in his scent. Joe, never waking, wrapped his arm around me and snuggled me into him, while at the same time shifted on the couch slightly giving me a little more room which prevented me from falling off the couch too easily. I closed my eyes and just relaxed into him. It was absolute heaven. The slow rise and fall of his chest, the beating of his heart while my hand rested over it, our legs intertwined with each other as naturally as the days go by. My body and mind slowly gave into sleep, being content to sleep in the arms of the man that I love, now if I could just tell him.

My next conscious thought was that I'm hungry. I felt and heard my stomach growling. I opened my eyes, Joe was still asleep with his arms wrapped around me and we were still on the couch. I looked up that the clock, noticed that is almost midnight and I needed food. I tried to wriggle my way out of Joe's arms, but he put a death grip on me. I realized that the only way I will get any food is to wake him up. I put my hand gently on his cheek and brushed my thumb lightly over his face. I borrowed his trick of rubbing a thumb gently over the lips and that seemed to work. I get an "mmm" and a smile. I leaned up and lightly kissed his lips, I get a louder and longer "MMMMM" along with a bigger smile, but still his eyes didn't open. I knew he was awake because his fingers lightly brushed against my arm.

I decided to go with the soft approach, "Joe," I whispered softly. "I need food. I'm starving." His smile grew slightly, but he did not let go of me.

"Joe, really let me get up to get some food. I promise I will be right back." He didn't budge. "I will bring you some, too. I am sure your Fritos are played out by now." Slowly his grip loosened, I hopped up, and gave him a kiss on the forehead. He went back to sleep, which was weird because Joe is not a "sleeper", not like me and Bob. We could sleep all day and just get up for meals and be totally content. I went into the kitchen and made two sandwiches, peanut butter and olives for me and peanut butter and grape jelly for Joe. I also brought in two glasses of milk.

As I walked back into the living room, I noticed the chill in the air from the still opened windows. I sat everything on the coffee table and walked over to close the windows. I locked the windows and front door and headed back to the couch. Bob was sniffing around the food and had not noticed the fresh kibble in his bowl. I nudged Joe with my knee in an effort to wake him. I finally had to reach down and shake him to get him to wake up.

Joe sat up and flashed a half grin at me as he picked up his sandwich. He took a bite before looking up at me. "Thanks."

I sat down next to him and took a bite of my sandwich. I noticed that Joe looked tired, not the '_I have been at work all day and up all night having gorilla sex with my girlfriend'_, but the emotionally drained kind of tired.

I brushed some hair off of his forehead while asking, "How was your day? I was told to be nice to you tonight."

Joe just smiled and replied, "My day was fine." Nothing was ever good if Joe said his day was fine. "I spent the entire morning reviewing cases that I had worked with Duncan and then had to sit through interviews and questioning about Duncan all afternoon. I left the station when IA left at 3:00. I came home had some drinks and Fritos with Bob and I guess fell asleep on the couch."

Joe stretched as he finished recounting his day and I heard his joints popping and was mesmerized by watching his muscles stretch and move beneath his skin. I knew with the mention of Duncan that Joe had indeed had a rough day and needed some TLC. Duncan was a Vice cop with Joe. He had been Joe's mentor and father figure. About six weeks ago, Duncan was relieved of his duties and placed on leave without pay. He was under investigation for taking money from some "operations" and looking the other way at times to help these "operations" avoid being questioned by the police.

I guess that all this recounting the day's events wore him out. He grabbed my hand and led me towards the stairs turning off lights as we went. At the top of the stairs we both headed into the bathroom to take care of teeth brushing and face washing on my part. I changed into my favorite night shirt; an old Navy T-shirt of Joe's and put my hair up in a pony tail. Joe was done way before I was. He was moving around in bed trying to get all the sheets just the way he likes them. I crawled into bed with Joe. I had just finished adjusting the pillows when Joe snuggled into me and pulled me close to him. Even though he had brushed his teeth, I could smell liquor on him mixed with toothpaste and peanut butter. It was not the best combinations of smells, but he still smelled like Joe so I did not complain. He nuzzled his face up by my neck and I could feel his breath on my neck. He had wrapped himself around me so I did what any good girlfriend would do, I just held him.

By morning we were not in the same position. Joe had been restless all night. He now was on his side and had me pulled up flush against him. I had my head resting on his arm and his other arm was draped over my stomach. I knew he was awake because his fingers were gently moving against my T-shirt. This led to thoughts of where I wanted those magical fingers to go. I snuggled into him to let him know I was awake. He slowly moved his lips closer to my ear, whispered "Good Morning", kissed me below my earlobe and then he got out of bed. I found this behavior very strange for Joe. We did not make love last night and now he got out of bed without much attempt at it this morning. This investigation was definitely getting to him and I was going to do everything in my power to help him through this.

I heard the shower start and I decided to join him. I figured maybe we could work some things out in the shower; it is one of the places where I do my best thinking. As I slipped into the shower, a smile crossed Joe's lips. He pulled me into his arms and just held me. The oddest feeling came over me, not one of lust or desire, but of contentment and love. It seemed that this was just what Joe needed. I slowly pulled away and grabbed my shampoo and started to lather up the hair, when Joe suddenly started massaging my head and working the shampoo through my hair. It felt like heaven. He turned me around, rinsed my hair, grabbed my conditioner and went to work. He was very good at this. I was always teasing him about his hair massages and saying that he should open up his own business. I tried to return the favor by grabbing my shampoo for him. He grabbed my wrist, "I don't think so Cupcake. Today is not a day where I can be distracted by smelling like you all day long."

"So I distract you?" I ask coyly.

"You know you do, but in a good way. You are all clean, go get dressed and quit being a distraction. I can't be late today." He then leaned over and kissed me on the forehead. I opened the shower curtain, toweled off and then start drying my hair to get ready for the day.


	2. Chapter 2

Joe's POV:

I was so glad that Stephanie did not want to talk about yesterday. I was not sure I could tell her what was going on without telling her too much. I know I needed to put it out of my mind when I was with her and just enjoy being together. She interrupted my thoughts when she started singing in the bedroom and talking to Bob while she got ready. I used all the hot water on her so I quickly washed my hair and body. Well, it was probably a good thing that I had to take a cold shower, especially after having her naked in the shower with me. I toweled off and headed into the bedroom to get ready, I was caught off guard by the sight of Stephanie, standing in jeans, boots and a bra. She didn't have a shirt picked out yet and was staring intently into our closet. I moved up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist. She rubbed her hands over my forearms as I rested my chin on the top of her head. I was bombarded by her smell. I could stay like this all day. I know from the end of yesterday's interviews that there is chance that Stephanie might be dragged down to the station today so I loosened my grip with one hand and reached into the closet and choose a light pink button down long sleeve shirt.

"Wear this one" I whispered into her ear. The soft giggle that was released let me know that my breath tickled her. That just made me smile and I added "Please." She reached out for the shirt and I released her.

She put on the shirt and turned to look at me. "Joe, I love how that towel looks on you, but I think you should dress up for work a little more today. I would hate to see all the wrecks you would cause on the way to work because all the ladies would not be able to keep their eyes off of you."

"Well, Miss Smarty Pants, I am planning on putting on more clothes, but I was distracted again."

"Fine, I will quit distracting you. I'll go let Bob out and then you can take me to breakfast."

Stephanie then turned back to the closet to grab a tan jacket and left to take care of things downstairs. I looked into the closet and remembered the Captain's request yesterday as I was leaving, "Dress up a little tomorrow, Morelli." I decided on jeans and a nice button down shirt. I didn't want IA to think that they were important to me.

As we were sitting across from each other at Wally's Waffle World, I decided it is time to do a little explaining to Stephanie. If she started to feel left out she would start looking into things on her own, that could be big trouble for her and the end of a career for me.

I reached across the table and took her hand. I gently rubbed my thumb across the back of her hand. She beat me to it. "About last night…"

I cut her off, "I'm sorry about that. I'd come home, drank some schnapps and then hit the beer. I guess I was a little drunk last night. I don't remember much except for you bringing me a sandwich and us going upstairs to bed. I wasn't an ass, was I?"

"No, you were not an ass, but I am worried about you. You just didn't seem like yourself and now I know why. You had more than just beer to drink. I just want to help you through this, but I don't know how."

"Steph, this investigation is tough on me. I place a lot of faith into the people that I trust. When that trust is violated I feel betrayed. That is not something that I forgive often. Things were brought up yesterday in the interview that you need to know about. I trust you with this information and that it will go no further than this table." I paused to take a sip of coffee. "Yesterday the IA investigators ended the session asking about RangeMan, I am not sure if they are involved in any way, but I wanted you to know. They did not mention any names or anything specific, but the company was mentioned. I know you and Ranger are friends and that you work for him at times. So I wanted you to be aware."

"Thanks for telling me and trusting me enough to do so. I promise I won't repeat it. I have not worked much for Ranger lately and I only see him at the Bond office every once in a while. I like this side of you when you share things with me. It makes me feel all warm and tingly inside."

We smiled at each other and I was about to say something not appropriate in public when our food arrived. We spent our meal on small talk and just enjoyed each other's company. I didn't want to ruin our time together by talking more about the investigation.

I decided to walk Stephanie to her car just to be able to spend some more time with her. I took her keys from her and opened the door for her. Before she got in I cornered her between the door and the car. I leaned in and softly told her, "Thank you for everything last night. I am sorry that I was in such a bad mood, I promise I will try not to be so moody tonight."

"I didn't do anything last night."

"Yes, you did. You were there for me with out being pushy. That means more than anything else you could have done." I kissed her neck just below her earlobe and worked my way up to her lips placing soft kisses along my path. "I love you," I whispered as our lips touched. I meant for the kiss to be soft and gentle but Stephanie had other ideas, wrapped her arms around my neck, pulled me in and deepened the kiss. As the kiss ended I placed my forehead against hers to pull myself together. "Wow that was some kiss, Cupcake!"

"Yes, it was and I love you, too." As soon as the words are out of her mouth Stephanie sucked in a breath of surprise and turned many shades of red.

I just smiled. "I like hearing that. I could listen to you say those words everyday." She then embarrassingly smiled and giggled as she said, "That kiss was a preview for tonight. Now go to work, Morelli and rid the city of crime."


	3. Chapter 3

Stephanie POV:

Oh, my God! I told Joe that I love him. He was so casual about it. I liked the fact that he didn't make a big deal out of it. I had been scared for so long to tell him that I loved him, but it was easy to say once I quit thinking about it. I thought I needed to try it out a few more times during the day, just to make sure I liked how it sounds. I decided to try to take Joe to lunch. I knew he would have had a rough morning and hoped he would want to spend some time with me. Wow that thought didn't even scare me like it used to. The drive to the office took no time; I had Joe-on-the-brain.

I walked into the office and Connie was staring at her computer screen. "What's up Connie?" I said as cheery as possible.

"Not much," Connie answered. "Ranger asked that you call him when you come in and to use the office phone."

"OK." That seemed like a strange request, but I'd found it better to follow Batman's directions. I called Ranger on his cell, he told me to meet him at the park downtown at 10:30, to not be late and then he hung up on me. I looked around the office and noticed that Lula was not around. "Where's Lula today?" I'd hoped to have a partner in crime for the day.

"She took a personal day, something about nails and hair and waxing. I didn't ask any questions. Here's your check from yesterday and two new files that came in this morning."

I grabbed the check and the files and headed toward the door. "Thanks, Connie. Call me on my cell if you need me. I'll be out and about all morning."

I walked back out to my car and looked through the files. I was still full, kind of, from all the waffles that I ate this morning, but I needed coffee so I headed over to the Coffee Cup. I knew I could sit in there, drink my coffee, look over my files and maybe have a blueberry muffin without too much distraction. I decided to deposit my check before I headed over to the Coffee Cup; I put $400 into my account and got $100 back in cash. I needed to be able to pay for coffee and I was planning on asking Joe to lunch. It would be nice to pay for it since I was asking.

As I walked into the Coffee Cup I saw the person that I felt was responsible for Joe being so miserable, Tad Duncan. I remembered my Burg manners and approached the older gentleman to greet him before I headed to a table to work. But as I walked toward him he saw me and walked around the other way to avoid me. He probably thought I would tear into him about what this was doing to Joe and didn't want to cause a scene. I ordered my White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino and a blueberry muffin and took a seat at a table by the window. As I looked out the window I noticed the snowfall from Sunday had started to melt and had gotten all slushy and gross. I started to hope for another snowfall just to cover this stuff up and that's when I spotted a black SUV in the lot next to Tad's car. Tad got out of the SUV, into his car and took off. The SUV left and as they pulled out of the lot I recognized the driver, it was Hank. He worked for Ranger. I found this all a little strange so I decided I would ask Ranger about it and tell Joe about it as well.

I started to look through my files and realized that this could be an easy day. I had a repeat offender. Lyla Rayel, a sweet old lady that should not be driving and always forgot her court date and Mooch Morelli. Wow. Joe never mentioned Mooch had gotten arrested. Oh, it was for disorderly conduct. Apparently Mooch, whose real name is Luigi, and his wife got into a screaming match and he was taken in. I think I might go by Mooch too if my name is Luigi. I instantly thought of Mario brothers. I giggled at the thought of Mooch in green overalls and jumping on mushrooms and throwing fire bombs at things.

I pulled out my cell phone to try to get in touch with Luigi, my mistake Mooch. Crap, its 10:15 already and I had to be downtown by 10:30 to meet Ranger. I grabbed my files and Frappuccino and ran for the car. I sped down to the park and I realized I was lucky that I had not been pulled over. I got to the park at 10:31 and saw Ranger sitting on a bench. That was a sight that I had a hard time registering, Ranger causally sitting on a park bench in the cold. That was the part I didn't like, it was cold outside. I put on my gloves and pulled my coat tightly closed as I headed over to the bench and sat down next to Ranger.

"Why are we sitting out in the cold?" I asked as I blew on my gloved hands in an effort to try to keep them warm.

"You have been avoiding being in my vehicles lately, Babe. I was only thinking of you." Crap, he noticed that.

"We could have talked in my car."

"We won't be here long." He reached into this pocket and pulled out an envelope. "You are officially fired from RangeMan. I need you to do one last thing and follow the instructions inside, after that our professional relationship is over."

"What about our personal relationship?" Shit, why did I ask that? I had a personal relationship with Morelli. I didn't want one with Ranger.

"We're friends. That's all we are because that is all you wanted."

"What about what you want?" Shit, again with the dumb questions, it must be that sugar from the Frappuccino.

"I wanted more, but the opportunity is gone and I am an opportunist so it is time for me to move on." He reached over, gave me a chuck under the chin and got up to go back to the Batcave.


	4. Chapter 4

Joe's POV:

As I sat at my desk waiting for the next round of interviews to start, I thought back to this morning. Stephanie finally told me that she loves me and I did not make a big deal out of it. That was either the wrong move or I was the smartest guy in the world. I guess I will find that out tonight.

The captain's voice broke into my thoughts, "Morelli head down to Interrogation Room One, the boys are waiting on you." Shit, I usually avoided Room 1. That was the room that I was questioned in, when all that mess with Kulesza happened, I was sure the guys from IA knew this and thought it would rattle me. I really just hated the way the room smelled.

I walked into Room One, the smell hit me and then I saw Morales -- the jerk-- and Smith-- the ass-- waiting for me, which made the smell seem worse. Morales motioned for me to sit down and started the recorder on the table. "The agents conducting the interview regarding Tad Duncan are Special Agent Morales and Special Agent Smith. Will the Detective please state your full name and badge number?"

"Joseph Anthony Morelli, badge number 19970."

"Thank you, Detective."

Let the fun begin. I was sure that they were looking forward to this as much as I was. The room was dreary and I was facing the two-way mirror, sitting on the side on the table that was reserved for criminals. I despised being on this side of the table, I didn't like it the first time I sat here and I didn't like it this time either. I've worked hard my entire adult life to rid Trenton of criminals and after all that hard work it sucked to be lumped in with them again.

"Yesterday we covered your professional relationship with Mr. Duncan, today we are moving on to the account and various other topics. Do you know what the Vice account is?"

I hated that they referred to Duncan as Mister and not Detective. "Yes."

"Please explain what the account is."

"The account is available to vice detectives and personnel in the aid of solving cases. The money in the account is used for the miscellaneous expenses that occur in vice work."

"Such as?"

"Meals, gas for vehicles, supplies for stakeouts, helping informants remember information."

"Have you ever personally withdrawn money from the account?"

"No."

"Have you ever personally deposited money in the account?"

"Yes."

"How do you deposit money in the account?" They were obviously going to be wasting my time asking me bullshit questions that they already knew, and knew that I knew, the answers to. This was such a waste of time. I had two open cases that needed my attention.

"I fill out a deposit slip and give the deposit slip and the cash to a teller at the bank. I then take the slip from the bank along with my receipts to the departmental secretary."

"Do you know the amount of money in the account?"

"No."

"How do you get money out of the account?"

"I request it."

"Who do you request it from?"

"Jan."

"Who is Jan?"

"She is our departmental secretary." Asshole, I saw you talking to her yesterday.

"Does Jan approve the request?"

"I don't know. You'd have to ask Jan."

"Can you tell us how the request process works?"

"Yes."

"Please tell us step-by-step how the process works?" I fought the urge to grit my teeth and kept what Steph calls my 'cop face' firmly in place.

"I request the money for the case or assignment that I will be on. I then cash the check and return the overage if there is any at the end of the assignment."

"How do you know how much money to request?"

"That is something you learn over time. Most detectives follow the departmental guidelines."

"Can you expand on those?"

"The lead detective will request $500.00 to start off with. Normally that is more than enough to cover everyone on the case."

"If you are not the lead detective how to do you get money for the case?"

"The lead detective can either control all the money for the case or distribute it amongst the officers working on the case."

"Which do you do as a lead detective?"

"It depends on the type of case, how fast we are moving on it and who I have under me."

"Do you not trust your fellow officers?"

"That's not it; some people are just not good at managing money."

"Do you deposit the checks?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"It is against departmental policy."

"What do you do with the checks?"

"I cash them."

"Where?"

"At a bank."

"Which bank?"

"I cash them at the bank that the city uses, First National Bank of Trenton."

"Why?"

"Departmental policy."

"How do you account for the money that you use?"

"I keep a log and the log must match the receipts that I turn in."

"When do you turn in the receipts?"

"At the end of an assignment."

"Who do you turn the receipts in to?"

"Jan."

"Do you also turn in the logs?"

"Yes and no."

"What do you do with them?"

"I turn in a copy to Jan. I also keep them in a file folder in my desk. Along with a digital copy as well."

"Have you ever seen the records for the account?"

"No."

"Never?"

"No, never."

"Why not?"

"It is not my job to keep up with the account, I solve crimes. I am not an accountant."

"Detective, this interview might be easier if you lose the attitude." These were the first words that Smith spoke all morning and that comment made me want to be a bigger smart ass.

Morales started in again with the questions. "Please look at this paper, can you look at the entry on September 20th and tell us if this is your badge number and signature."

"It is my badge number, but that is not my signature."

"Are you sure?"

"I think I know what my signature looks like. This is close, but it is not it. I know that is not my signature because I had just come back from medical leave on the 18th which was a Monday and I was out on that Wednesday because I had a dental appointment and was out for the day. I had a cavity filled. Would you like to see it?"

"No, that's fine. Can you explain why there was a withdrawal under your name?"

"No."

"There was a sizable amount of money deposited the day before and it has your badge number by it, followed by a withdrawal on the 20th with your badge number for the same amount."

"I told you I don't make withdrawals. I do not have that authority." I was working hard to stay calm while trying to figure out how the hell someone withdrew money in my name and why.

"Who does?"

"I know I don't. I can only submit the request for a check and I can turn in left over cash with receipts at the end of an assignment."

"Can Mr. Duncan make withdrawals?"

"I do not know."

"Why don't you know?"

"It's not my job to know. I just turn in my request and when and if it gets approved I pick up my check from Jan when it's ready." I made a mental to find out all of this information. It was vital that I know as much as possible if I was going to clear myself.

"We will come back to that withdrawal again later on. Can you talk some more about the drug case that you were working on with Duncan before his dismissal?"

"What exactly would you like to know?"

"Who were you investigating?"

"A group that called themselves the Merchants."

"What are the Merchants involved in?"

"Guns, drugs, prostitution, you name it and they're probably in it."

"Is this case still open?"

"Yes."

"Who became the lead on the case once Mr. Duncan was relieved of duty?"

"I was."

"How convenient."

I rose from my seat and slammed my hands to the table. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Morelli, that kind of language will not be tolerated. Sit down and try to act a little more professional." Smith was up and in my face with that comment. I took several deep breaths and sat back down.

"Are there any credible leads concerning the case?"

"Yes."

"Would you like to expand on that answer?"

"No."

"Maybe we should bring your captain in here to discuss with you the proper way to conduct yourself in an interview."

"Be my guest. While you are at you can ask him about the case, because I will not discuss any aspects of an open case which could jeopardize it."

Smith said the first smart thing I ever heard him say, "Morales, why don't we get back on track."

"What was your role in the investigation before Mr. Duncan was relieved of duty?" Morales asked.

"I mainly coordinated officers from the station. I had recently returned from medical leave and I wasn't very mobile."

"Did you ever go in the field for this investigation?"

"Yes, I did several days of stakeouts."

"Were you covering for another officer?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"Tad Duncan."

"Why?"

"He had the flu."

"So you sat in for him?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"He asked me to."

"Do you do everything he asks you to?"

"No."

"Can you give us an example?"

"He once suggested that I stay in homicide when I was temporarily assigned to the department, obviously I did not listen, since I am still in Vice."

"Were there hard feelings after you ignored his advice?"

"Not that I know of, you would have to ask Duncan."

"Where there any outside companies or organizations brought in on the Merchant case?"

"I know that the State police were contacted and they sent information down, but other than that no."

"Do you know a Henry Bing?"

"No."

"Have you ever heard of the name?"

"No".

"Do you know the people in this picture?"

"Yes."

"Can you identify them?"

"Yes."

"What are their names?" The frustration in his voice grew more evident with every smart ass answer. It was one of the only bright spots of the morning.

"Stephanie Plum, Ranger Manoso and Tad Duncan."

"Ranger Manoso, is that his real name?"

"No, he uses the name Ranger for business reasons I do not know what he goes by in his personal life, nor do I care."

"Are there any issues between you and Mr. Manoso?"

"Not professionally." Personally, that was a whole different matter

"Let's talk about Mr. Manoso for a moment." Shit, that was all I needed, to talk about Ranger, my day was officially in the toilet.

"Fine."

"Have you ever worked for Mr. Manoso?"

"No."

"Have you ever worked with Mr. Manoso?"

"Yes."

"Have you ever worked with any of his employees on a case?"

Okay, I had to think about how I answered this, Stephanie had been getting checks from RangeMan for odd jobs for years. I wanted to make sure I don't get her involved in this beyond what she already was. I decided to take a chance with this answer. "No." From IA's standpoint this may be a stretch. I have worked with Steph while she was free-lancing for Ranger. The only time she's been a RangeMan employee was while my leg was broken and I obviously wasn't working on any case then.

"Have you ever used him to help your investigation to solve a case?"

"Yes."

"Have you ever paid him or RangeMan for help or information that you obtained from him?"

"No."

"Detective, we know from time to time that you need to pay for information to solve cases and you are saying that you have never listed Mr. Manoso or RangeMan as an official informant so that you could exchange money for information."

"Yes, this is exactly what I am saying. I have NEVER paid Mr. Manoso or RangeMan for anything."

"Why then are both listed as official informants?"

"I am assuming that some detective in some department or one of the higher ups uses then in that capacity, but I do not." I said the last three words with force and conviction hoping they would drop it.

"You said that you did not have a problem with Mr. Manoso professionally, but you do personally?"

My voice shot up in volume before I even realized it, "I don't understand how that has any relevance to this investigation." I supposed Ranger was still a sore subject for me. I didn't like how I was letting my emotions get the best of me when we were dealing with Stephanie.

"Morelli, just answer the question," Smith bellowed. Damn he was getting on my nerves.

"Ranger and I do not see eye to eye on some issues and that is all I am saying on that subject."

"Detective, it is in your best interest to cooperate and answer all questions truthfully here."

"I will not answer any more questions along that line unless someone can show me how it is relevant to the investigation," It was my turn to bellow.

Smith replied calmly, "We are not in a position to divulge that information at this time."

"Then I suggest we move on with more relevant questions and quit wasting our time."

"Don't worry Detective, we will visit some more about RangeMan and Mr. Manoso, but we will move on." Morales had a smirk on his face as he asked the next question. I felt uneasy about what was coming. "Do you know where this picture was taken?"

"It looks like the outside of the Tasty Pastry."

"Do you know when this picture was taken?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"The date stamp on the photo says it was taken on September 30th." Did they think I was an idiot?

"How do you know Miss Plum?" How has she gotten herself mixed into this mess?

"That is personal."

"Just answer the question." Again from Smith; he must be the 'bad cop.'

"She is my girlfriend."

"Does she currently live with you?"

"Yes." I answered the questions that invaded into my personal life very abruptly to let them know that the invasion was not appreciated.

"Did she live with you at the time of the photo?"

"No."

"Where did she live at the time of the photo?"

"In an apartment, on Dunworth."

"Where did she work at the time of photo?"

Fuck, Morales was right. We were back to the topic of RangeMan. "She worked for RangeMan."

"In what capacity?"

"She did research for RangeMan and computer work."

"Does she still work for RangeMan?"

"Not full time, she works primarily for Vincent Plum Bail Bonds as a skip tracer and only on occasion for RangeMan."

"Can you define the work that she does for RangeMan?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don't ask."

"Why not?'

"I find it's better for my blood pressure if I don't know."

"Did Miss Plum break the law when she works for RangeMan and is that why you don't want to know the details of her work?"

"No, she does not. She used to be a little reckless with her safety." She had stretched the law on occasion, but there was no way I was going to give them a reason to look into Steph.

"She is no longer reckless?"

"Not in the last few months." I paused for a beat. "Why all these questions about Stephanie?" I was fed up with the damn immaterial questions.

"Detective, we will be asking the questions for now," Smith piped in.

"Were you aware of this meeting in the picture?" Morales asked.

"No."

"Would you have been alarmed to know that they were meeting?"

"Are you sure they were meeting? They look like they just ran into each other."

"That is what they wanted it to look like."

Now I was getting confused why would they want it to look like they casually ran into each other, unless RangeMan was the operation that was paying Duncan. I was sure Ranger would not have put Stephanie into a position to know about it, I mean that would not be smart and if Ranger was anything it is smart. I knew from the questions yesterday that someone at RangeMan had a connection to all of this, but I figured it was accidental contact that IA would be asking about. I needed more information and the only way to get more information was to answer the questions better so that they give away more information.

"Can we take a break?" I needed to get out of that room and away from that smell.

Smith answered with a head nod. I headed out of the room, to the restroom and then to my office. I needed to think. I forgot my watch this morning and there is no clock in the room so I checked the time. It was 10:30; we had been in there for an hour and a half. I felt like we had gotten nowhere. There was a paper with my name and badge number on it saying I withdrew money from an account that I had no access to and they wanted to know about Stephanie. I couldn't make the connection. Stephanie, I needed to talk to her. I picked up the phone and dialed her cell, voicemail, damn it.

"Hey Cupcake, it's me. I am on a break and I just wanted to check to see how your day is. If you get this before lunch, page me if you can meet me. If not I will see you tonight. I love you. Bye." I saw Morales head back to the room and figured I should head that way so we can get this over with.

Once back in the room the record button is pressed again and Morales started back up with the questions. He handed me a series of pictures to look through. Apparently they had been watching either Stephanie or Ranger because they were in all of the pictures together. They were probably trailing Stephanie. Ranger would have caught the scent of a tail. The last picture caught my attention; it was Stephanie with Duncan at Jim's Ribs. They were at a table and appeared to be eating together. I found this odd because Stephanie had only met Duncan a few times when she was with me. We had not been very social with Duncan besides department functions. We didn't run in the same crowd. Duncan had five kids and his wife was not the most fun person to be around.

"I see that there is a picture that got your attention, Detective. Can you tell me who the two people are in the photo?" I was pissed at myself for letting my thoughts be so apparent.

"Stephanie Plum and Tad Duncan."

"That picture was taken the day that Mr. Duncan's personal checking account grew tremendously. Did you know that the two of them met?"

"No, I did not." I was racking my brain trying to figure out why Stephanie would be meeting with Duncan.

"Do you know why they would be meeting?"

"No, I do not."

"They have been photographed meeting one other day. Do you care to guess when that was?"

"Why don't you just tell me?" I hated being in the position of not knowing what's going on, I was starting to feel like I was going to have bust out the trusty bottle of Maalox.

"They met the day that you came back to work and again on this day and the day that you made the cash withdrawal from the account on the 20th." The dumbass thought I would actually fall for that.

"I did not make cash withdrawal from the account on the 20th. The only way I have ever gotten money from the account is through a check. I have never been given cash."

"You have never gone to the bank with a withdrawal form and presented it at the bank?"

"No, I have not. I have always had a check. You can pull the cancelled checks; compare them to the logs and to the request forms."

"We may do that. Now back to the picture, Detective. Why do you think Mr. Duncan would meet with Miss Plum?"

"I honestly do not know. I am assuming it would have something to do with me, since I am the only connection between the two."

"Has Miss Plum ever mentioned a Henry Bing?"

"You already asked me about him." Dumbass.

Smith bellowed, "Just answer the question."

"No, she has never mentioned Henry Bing."

Just then my pager went off. I looked at the read out and a very slight smile played on my lips. "Sorry."

"Not a problem, where will you be having lunch with Miss Plum?"

"Excuse me?'

"Where will lunch be?"

"How did you know that? Are you bugging my phone calls?" Now I was getting pissed off and the volume in my voice was rising.

"Yes, we are bugging your phones and yes, we have a warrant."

"Are we done here?" I could not hide the disgust in my voice any longer.

"Yes, we are, Officer Morelli, please leave your department issued weapon and badge when you leave for lunch. I expect you back at 1:00 sharp to continue this and make sure you are not carrying concealed."

"It's Detective Morelli."

"Not anymore. You may be a Detective again after this mess is cleared up."

The words rung in my head, Officer Morelli. I was not a detective anymore, it was all too much. I needed out of here. "Fine," I spat out. I threw my badge and gun on the table. "I need a receipt for that."

Smith got up, pulled some paper work out of a folder and set it down in front of me. "Look through this and sign at the tabs."

I started looking through the paper work. I saw the warrant to tap my office phone and departmental cell phone. I do not see one for the home phone or personal cell phone, but that doesn't mean that they do not have one. The next item was the Relieved from Duty form. I couldn't believe that I was looking at one of these again. I had to sign this when I was arrested, that was one of the worst days of my life, today was moving right up there with it. At least this one was for an absence with pay. I looked over the form and saw that I was to report each morning to the department for investigation interviews, but I am not allowed to carry a weapon or badge and I can not participate in any other police activity. There was also a receipt in there for my weapon. I was so pissed off at this point that I could barely read what is on the paper. I took a few seconds to compose myself and stared breathing again. "Two things, where is the warrant for bug on my private lines and what happens if I don't show up?"

Smith answered, "You will be advised if a private phone tap becomes necessary. If you do not show up as ordered you will be placed on administrative leave without pay and may have to go before a hearing to be dismissed. You are being placed on leave with pay so that we can complete this investigation and not interfere with departmental work. You will be reporting to us everyday at 8:30am and 1:00pm. We hope to have this all resolved within two weeks and have you reinstated or dismissed from the force by then."

The fact that he said the last part so casually really pissed me off, but I knew if I got into something now it would come back to haunt me later. I signed all the paper work and took my copies along with my receipt for my weapon. Morales stated with a grin, "See you at one, Officer Morelli!"


	5. Chapter 5

Stephanie's POV:

I sat there for a minute trying to take in the conversation when I realized it was cold and headed back to the car to see what was in the envelope. Once I got the car all nice and toasty, I realized that I was just fired with no explanation or anything. _Just follow the directions_. Typical Ranger, I then realized that I missed a call on my cell phone. I checked my voicemail. Joe wanted to have lunch; he was a good mind reader. I paged him back with the message "Pino's 12." I don't worry about a response I knew he would be there.

I decided I better open the envelope and see what my last job for RangeMan was. Inside the envelope was a single page with typed instructions and a check. The check was dated September 30th,but I am sure that was a mistake, it was meant to be dated December 30th and the letter had simple instructions. _Cash this check at the following bank: Trenton Bank and Trust; go to the teller named Christina to complete your transaction. Give her the envelope and this letter when you cash your check. This check is for the work that you have done for RangeMan along with a severance for the short notice of the termination of your employment. _

I looked at the check again; it was made out for $6,900. That seemed like a lot of money for being fired. I checked out the stub of the check, it had dates listed for when I worked for Ranger and the amount I was paid plus $5,000 for severance. I had time to stop by the bank on the way to meet Joe. The bank was about a block from Pino's.

I headed into the bank. I had never been inside before because no one I know banked here. It was not a locally owned bank so that makes off limits to the burg. I looked around and saw the teller that I was going to use. Christina was with another customer so I just stood in line and waited my turn. I walked up "Good morning," I said cheerfully. I handed her the envelope and she pulled out its contents.

"Good Morning," she replied. The next thing I knew the envelope and letter was in a paper shredder and she was counting out the money to me. She gave me twelve five hundred dollar bills, eight one hundred dollar bills and five twenties in a nice bank envelope that I can never get the coins out of, luckily I don't have to worry about coins today. She pulled a stamp from the drawer, stamped the check, put the stamp and the check in the drawer and returned the stub to me. "Have a great day, next please." I put the envelope in my purse and headed back out the car.

I had about ten minutes until I had to meet Joe, but I had nothing else to do so I headed to Pino's. I put the money in the glove compartment, except for the twenties and headed inside. I knew that Joe was on duty so there would be no beer with our lunch today. I ordered our regular: large pizza with spicy sausage, mushrooms and onions and two drinks, regular coke and diet coke. I asked them to bring the drinks out when Joe arrived. I selected a booth that was towards the back, but one that Joe would be able to spot me at when he got here. I pulled out my cell phone and called Mooch. "Hey Mooch, its Stephanie, give me a call when you get a chance. Thanks. Bye."

As I finished my call Joe walked in, went up to the bar and ordered a beer. He brought his beer over to the table and sat down. He looked frustrated and pissed off and I was just glad that I was currently on his good side. Just then our cokes arrived. He looked strangely at the coke that was placed before him just as I looked at the beer in his hand. I thought I would start the conversation, since I didn't even get a hello. "So, how was your morning?" I asked as sweetly as possible hoping it was not as bad as the beer indicated.

He finished his beer and placed the empty bottle on the table with more force than I thought necessary. "It was fine." Crap not another fine, now might not be a good time to tell him about my meeting with Ranger. One of the bus boys stopped by to pick up Joe's bottle and asked, "Another beer detective?" The question brought a pained look across Joe's face, one that was gone as fast as it as it was there. "No, the coke will be fine."

"No pressure." I reached across the table to take his hand, which was shaking ever so slightly, whether from the beer he just downed or from frustration, I had no idea. "But do you want to talk about it, Joe?"

"Not really, but I will give you the highlights now. Then we can talk tonight, when it's just us." A tight smile came across his lips. This was not a good sign, it was his _I am pissed beyond words and I am going to hide it from everyone _smile. I hated that smile. I used to see it a lot, but I didn't see it much anymore and rarely was the smile directed at something I did. Joe took a deep breath and then continued, "I have been placed on leave with pay."

"Oh, Joe," I said as I grabbed both of his hands in mine. He looked down at our hands and smiled, this time it was his good smile.

"I have to report to the station everyday to continue interviews. Apparently IA thinks that I am involved in some way. I have spent the entire morning answering questions about things that are routine and ordinary or that make no sense to me." He paused to take a drink of his coke. "I also answered questions about you this morning."

"Me, why would they ask questions about me? I barely know Tad."

"They wanted to know about your employment with RangeMan and why you were meeting with Duncan." Crap, I knew this would come out eventually.

"I met with Tad about you. He was concerned that you were coming back to fast after you broke your leg and he wanted to know what I thought since I was living with you at the time. I told him the best thing for you was to go back to work in some capacity because it was killing you to be at home all day."

"Oh, what about the second time, after I went back to work?"

"He wanted to know if I had ever met a Henry Something."

"Bing" Crap, 'cop face' slid into place with the mention of Bing.

"Yes, Henry Bing, while I worked for RangeMan. I told him I had heard of him but I was never introduced."

I suddenly felt the urge to be next to Joe. I moved to the same side of the booth he was on and his 'cop face' vanished as fast as it appeared. Our pizza arrived and we began to eat. I had more questions and I wanted to tell Joe about Ranger, but I thought that we could cover that once the pizza was gone. I nudged my knee against Joe's and it felt good to be able to touch him, he reciprocated with a knee nudge. We continued the knee nudging which lead to arm bumping throughout our meal, we probably looked like a bunch of five year olds fighting for space on the same seat, but that is just us. When we were done eating, Joe put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me to him. We just sat there for a while, just being comfortable in the silence. It was nice.

Joe pulled out his cell phone and checked the time, kissed my head and said, "I got to go, Cupcake. I have to be back by one."

I really didn't want to get up, but I did so Joe could get back. I whipped out a twenty and left it on the table and said, "Lunch is on me today."

"Did you get a skip this morning?"

"No, I never got that far, this was from yesterday. Speaking of skips, I have Luigi's file in the car." This got a grin out of Joe as he slid out of the booth.

"So Mooch forgot to show up? Figures, be gentle when you take him in, he bruises easily." I loved this playful side of Joe. I reached over and grabbed his hand as we walked out of Pino's ready to face the afternoon.

"One more thing, Joe. I met with Ranger this morning and he fired me. I am not sure if that 's important or not but I wanted you to know. He gave me a check for work I had done and told me to cash it so I did."

"You got fired and I got put on leave today, we are both having banner career days."

I leaned up to kiss him on the cheek but he turned at the same time and I made contact with his lips. I guess we both needed this because as my arms went around his neck his hands were pressed into my back pulling me closer. The kiss was soft at first then turned hotter. I could taste the spicy sausage on him and a hint of beer. I moved to my hands to cup his face, I needed to feel more skin than I could on his neck. I guess my hands were cold because he flinched slightly at my touch, but the kiss continued. When our tongues touched sparks shot through my body and suddenly I wasn't cold anymore. Joe was the first one to pull away. He placed his forehead on mine and looked into my eyes.

Before he could speak, I blurted out, "Remember that no matter what happens today, I love you." If I could have frozen time at that moment I would have. Just to be able to savor the look of joy on Joe's face and the love that I could see coming from his eyes. I guess I had always noticed it, but now I realized what it was and I wasn't scared of it any more.

"I love you too, Stephanie." I loved when Joe calls me Cupcake, it's cute, but when he puts Stephanie with the words I love you it just melts me. I slowly released him so he could go back to work. I got one more kiss from Joe on the forehead. As he walked to his truck he called out, "See you at home tonight." I just stood there and smiled as I watched the finest ass in Trenton walk away.


	6. Chapter 6

Joe's POV:

That was exactly what I needed, time with Stephanie. She even told me that she loved me before I said it. That made this whole mess I'm going through worth it if she can finally say what I knew she had felt for awhile now. The information I learned at lunch was interesting, I was confused about the part with Ranger.

I was sure that due to my stellar performance this morning that Morales and Smith wouldn't want to spend too much time with me, plus they would need to transcribe the interview and review it before we got started in the morning so I was hoping for a short afternoon. I pulled out my cell and phoned RangeMan. I left a message for Ranger to call me back on my cell at his convenience, knowing that Ranger was on his own time schedule that could be five minutes or five days later. I pulled into the lot at the station and decided to make one more call.

I pressed five on my phone. "Hey Luigi!!! I heard that you missed your court date. Be nice to my girl when she comes to drag your scumbag ass back to jail or you will have to answer to me. Call me." He was going to hate the fact that Steph had to bring him in, but the dumbass had it coming. From the way I was greeted when I walked in the station I assumed that they didn't know about my leave, the fewer people that knew about it the better I felt. I stopped at my office, checked my voicemail, and left my cell phone in the top desk drawer. The only message was from my mom. I made a note to call her or maybe instead of calling her Stephanie and I would just drop by. I could use a good Mom cooked meal about now. When Mom cooked for me it just made things better, there was just something about the food. I noticed the same feeling with Stephanie, though she never admitted it. She was always ready to have a meal that her Mom prepared when things were askew in her life, maybe it was a Burg thing.

I decided to head down to room one and get ready for round three of questioning. I took a bottle of water with me; maybe I would be able to use the bathroom excuse again when I needed to get away from Morales and Smith for a moment to think. As I walked into the room I noticed files neatly set on the table along with a notepad and pen. It looked like I might not have to sit through a round of questions; instead it looked like I was going to be reading, great.

Morales was already there with his recorder set up and ready to go. He gave me a nod of welcome and motioned for me to sit down. After I was seated, Morales turned on the recorder, stated his name and asked me to state my name and badge number. I did so with little attitude; I figured I'd save that for later this afternoon. "Where's your partner?" I asked.

"He's out following up another lead in the case. Officer Morelli, I need you to review each file in front of you. You'll find the case file on the Merchants, your personal log and a copy of all receipts turned into the departmental secretary from June 1 until Dec 31 along with a copy of all bank transactions associated with your badge number. In the bottom folder, you'll find a request to obtain a copy of your personal bank records as well as Stephanie Plum's bank records. Sign yours, leave it, and bring Miss Plum's back signed in the morning."

I decided to hell with saving the attitude for later and replied, "I'll sign the one for my records, but if you want information from or about Stephanie you need to ask her. I'm not your damn gopher." I'd been hoping to keep Steph out of this, since it was clear that wasn't going to happen I sure as hell wasn't going to make this easy on Morales.

Morales turned off the recorder at that statement, placed both hands on the table and growled, "Morelli, I have about had it with your shitty attitude. You either fly right and corporate or you can find yourself a new job. Do you understand?"

I didn't respond. I just stared at him for a few beats, reached into the bottom file, signed the paper for my accounts, put the paper back in the file and handed it to him. He didn't reach for it so I set it on the corner of the table and began going through the files that were before me, making notes on the notepad.

I worked at this quietly until Morales looked up and said "We're done for the day. I'll see you here in the morning at 8:30am, sharp. Don't be late."

I finished writing my last note from the paper I was reviewing, left everything the way it was, and walked out the door. I stopped by my desk to retrieve my personal cell phone, left the departmental phone in the top drawer, and headed out the door. I didn't bother to look at my cell phone until I was in the Tahoe; I had four missed calls and three voicemails. I checked the voicemails as I left the station. I noticed that it was later that I thought, it was nearly 4:30. The first message was from Ranger, he said he would be in his office until 5:30 and to drop by or call him back. The second one was from Duncan, he requested that I call him back and the third one was from Steph, she told me that she loved me and had a good story for me that should brighten my mood. I could hear Mooch in the background so I could only imagine what went on with that apprehension.

I headed over to RangeMan; I figured this would be better handled in person so I could gauge his reaction to my questions. I went to the front desk and requested to see Ranger. I actually had to show my Driver's License to get into the place, how important does this guy really think he is? I was told to take the third elevator to the 5th floor and I would be met by Jon. Once on the 5th floor I was greeted by Jon and was told to follow him. He led me to Ranger's office, informed me that Ranger would be in shortly, and to make myself comfortable.

I sunk into a club chair that I would kill to have in the living room. The leather was as soft as butter and as I brushed my fingers over it, the only image I had in my mind was having sex with Stephanie in this chair, her soft body on top, the soft chair underneath. I had to stand up and move around to clear my head of these thoughts before Ranger came in.

I tried to think about anything besides Steph to get my mind away from that chair and the excellent sex we would have in it. I started walking around Ranger's office looking at the pictures that were on the walls. I saw a picture that accomplished my goal of forgetting about sex with Steph in the chair. It was of Ranger and Stephanie taken after we broke off our engagement a few years ago. All this time and I still get pissed off thinking about the two of them together. I tried not to think about it, I knew that Stephanie had made her choice and thankfully it was me. I probably should tell Steph one day that I know about her and Ranger, but I've never been able to find a good time to say 'Hey Cupcake, I know that when we broke up you had sex with Ranger.' Maybe one day when we both have an urge to talk about our feelings we can cover our activities during our time apart. Until then I was keeping that to myself.

I heard Ranger come in; I turned around, and nodded in his direction. "Ranger."

"Morelli. I'm sure you're here to ask me about letting Stephanie go, it was just not working out and she was causing me to lose money on jobs. As for the five thousand dollars…"

"What five thousand dollars?" I interrupted.

"The severance pay that I gave her, it was five thousand dollars."

Stephanie had said she was fired, but she never mentioned severance pay and $5,000 seemed like a high amount to pay someone when you fired them, unless you were trying to buy their silence or cooperation. "Why did you give her severance?" I asked.

"It's standard procedure when I let an employee go."

"How did you come up with $5,000? Why that amount?"

"There's a formula I use concerning money earned and time of employment. That's all; there is no hidden meaning in it, Morelli." Ranger was starting to sound irritated so I continued with my questions.

"Why did you fire her? Was she not living up to your twisted expectations?" I could not hide the contempt in my voice no matter how hard I tried.

"She has outlived her usefulness to me."

I noticed that he didn't refer to RangeMan, but to himself, what a bastard. I did like the fact that Stephanie was no longer going to be working for or with Ranger. I hated to think about the two of them together, but I trusted Stephanie and I trusted us. I needed to get back to the reason I was here.

"Actually, I did not come here about Stephanie. I'm here about Henry Bing." Ranger truly looked worried when I mentioned ole Henry. Good thing I decided to talk to him in person.

"He's no longer employed by RangeMan. I'm not sure where to locate him either," Ranger replied abruptly.

"Oh, come on Ranger someone with your connections must be able to find the location of one guy," I said kind of smugly. "I'd appreciate it if you would get any information you have about Mr. Bing to me. Not as a police service, but as a friend." I had to choke out that last word. "I need to know how he is tied to the Duncan investigation."

"We are not friends, Morelli, never have been and never will be."

"You owe me"

"How do I owe you?"

"Abruzzi." That one word had so much tied to it, even after all this time.

"Fine. I'll give you what I have, it's not much," Ranger spat out.

"Thanks, I'd appreciate it if you could give it to Steph when you get everything together. I want you to know that if I find you had anything to do with Duncan or with me being involved in this or, God forbid, got Stephanie involved I'll make your professional life a living hell. Do we understand each other?" I wasn't sure why I went into jerk mode, I was sure that it had something to do with that picture I saw.

Ranger didn't answer; he just nodded and started walking toward the door which I took as my cue to leave. I got out of there as fast as I could and drove home to Stephanie.


	7. Chapter 7

Stephanie POV:

It turned out to be an easy afternoon. I'd made it home before five and decided that Joe would need my full attention tonight. I even called his mom, went by her house, and picked up some manicotti for Joe. He loved the stuff and I couldn't even begin to make it. I tried once for his birthday, but it was a disaster and I nearly destroyed our kitchen. I went with my backup plan and we ended up eating Chinese food out of the container, naked, and in bed, so it wasn't all bad. Wait, our kitchen? Wow, it was happening, I was starting to think of it as our home.

I had the manicotti in the oven warming, opened a bottle of wine to let it breathe, and went upstairs to change from work clothes to lounging at home clothes. I slipped on an old shirt of Joe's from last year's TPD softball team, the shirt was baby blue. The company that they ordered the shirts screwed up the color. They were supposed to be dark blue, but the Captain's wife loved the shirts so much that she didn't send them back. The team went undefeated in those baby blue shirts and it was decided that all softball shirts would be baby blue from that point on. This shirt was my favorite of Joe's, it had a big black T on the front for Trenton and on the back was Joe's number, 8, and his last name. Lately I'd been wearing it more often simply because it had Morelli written on the back of it. I wore it a few days ago when I was putting gas in the car and when I paid the cashier called me 'Mrs. Morelli.' I didn't correct him since I was kind of starting to like how it sounds.

I pulled on my favorite pair of sweats and tied them at the waist; the elastic was shot in them so if I didn't tie them they fell down. There was a chill in the house so I pulled on some thick socks of Joe's which always grossed him out. I could wear any article of clothing that he owned and he thought it was sexy, except for socks. He couldn't understand how I wore his socks and expected him to wear the socks after I did. Even after they'd been washed it still grossed him out. He was so weird about that.

I headed downstairs and brought Bob in. He hated the cold so he was ready to come back inside the house. I decided to wait to feed him that way he'd be preoccupied while we ate. I had set the coffee table up for dining tonight; I was going for relaxed casual. As I checked on the manicotti I heard Bob take off for the front door letting me know Joe was home. I heard him come in, put his cell phone and keys on the sideboard, and then he gave Bob a full body rub, I was hoping to get one those later tonight.

Joe looked up at me and lazily said, "Hey." He started moving toward me. I met him halfway, wrapped my arms around him, and squeezed him tight. I could feel the stress lifting from his body as we stood there and just held on to each other. I felt him rubbing his cheek against my hair and one of his hands moved from my lower back up to the back of my head. I wasn't sure how long we stood there because time seemed to stand still. I slowly lifted my head from his shoulder to face him, reached up, kissed him and started to peel his big jacket off of him. I could feel it as a smile grew across his face and he coyly asked, "Is my jacket in the way?"

"No, I just don't want to you to get too warm in the house."

"Oh, I thought maybe you just wanted me out of my clothes," Joe responded teasingly.

"I do want you out of your clothes, but not until we've had dinner. I'm starving. And I'm sure you want to hear about the capture of Luigi Morelli the IV," I said with great drama in my voice.

I received a huge smile from Joe, not his fake smile that he shoots at someone when he wants something, it's the smile that only few are privileged to see and know. He generally saved it for his mother, grandmother, a few close friends, and me. Mary Lou told me once that if Morelli smiled at her like that she would probably be the mother of at least ten of his kids or combust on the spot from sheer and utter joy.

"You know I want to hear about Luigi's saga, but I want to change first. It looks like we are going lounge-y casual tonight. Am I correct, Cupcake?"

"Ding, you're correct Mr. Morelli and for getting the answer right your reward is a home cooked meal, not cooked by me, and an evening of relaxing with me." I shot him my coy look. His smile widened.

"I better go change then."

As he headed for the stairs I reached out and slapped his butt. "Hurry up."

Joe returned moments later wearing his favorite sweat pants. They were gray and had seen better days, the elastic was out at the feet and there were various stains on them from food that we couldn't seem to get out, although we never tried very hard. There was a huge stain on the butt from when he tried to teach me how to make marinara, I got some on the floor and we somehow ended up having sex on the floor right where I spilled the sauce. There were marshmallow bits on the front that looked like some other kind of stain. Every time his mother saw him in them she couldn't take her eyes off the stains, she crosses herself when she thought we weren't looking, and probably wondered where she went wrong.

Joe had on a maroon T-shirt that always brought a smile to my face. Even though he was in his mid thirties he still liked to wear T-shirts that you see on high school and college aged boys. He rarely wore them out; they were for around the house. The shirt had a picture of a putting green with a guy holding the flag over the cup with the words "Wanna Play a Round" on it. The shirt had seen better days just like his sweat pants and, of course, he had his Mets socks on. I got the socks for him at Christmas, kind of as a joke, but he wore them all the time. They were super thick and I didn't think they were meant to be worn with shoes. I had already decided the next time Joe really pissed me off I was putting on the Mets socks as punishment.

I told Joe to have a seat on the floor and brought out the wine and some bread that I picked up at People's Bakery.

Joe looked more relaxed now, until he saw my feet. "Ah, Cupcake, why do you have to wear my socks?" He whined. I almost looked around to see if Shirley, my cousin the whiner, was around.

I smugly looked at him and replied, "Well, I guess if I am wearing them, then they are my socks, because I _know_how much you hate it when I wear your socks."

"You're going to have to pay for those socks," he replied suggestively.

"Do you accept cash, check or charge?"

"None of those, but I will accept sexual favors." He winked at me with this statement.

"I'm sure we can arrange some form of payment, you know later tonight or something."

"I'll hold you to that Miss Plum," Joe replied

"I hope you do Mr. Morelli." I loved it when we teased each other like this; it was so comfortable and easy and made me remember why I love him. I headed into the kitchen to feed Bob and brought out plates of manicotti. I set them down on the table and took my place on the floor next to Joe. He smiled as he said, "Manicotti, good choice."

"I thought you could use something like this tonight. Nothing is quite as good as a Mom cooked dish to lift your mood."

"Steph, this is exactly what I needed tonight. Thank you. I even thought about trying to convince you to go to Mom's for dinner tonight, it's like you read my mind." He leaned over to tuck a stray curl behind my ear and kissed my forehead. Some people were annoyed by little kisses on the forehead, cheek, and temple, but to me it showed subtle intimacy. These kisses and the little touches, like his hand on the small of my back when we enter a room or the way he rested his hand on mine or on my leg, showed me how much he adored and loved me. It made me feel all mushy inside. I looked over at Joe and saw that he was attacking his food so I decided I should do the same. Hopefully I would need my strength later tonight.


End file.
